PLNU News

May 10th, 2014 marked the 109th Commencement at PLNU. There were three ceremonies, honoring 598 graduating students, held throughout the day in the university's historic Greek Amphitheatre.

The celebrations began at 10am with the Graduate Convocation. Ron Benefiel, Ph.D., Dean of Theology and Christian Ministry at PLNU, offered a special prayer to the 235 graduate students.

The first of two undergraduate ceremonies began at 1p.m., for the 275 students graduation from the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Nursing. 323 students from the College of Social Sciences and Professional Studies walked across the Greek Amphitheatre stage at 4p.m. to accept their diplomas in the final, and largest, event of the day.

The keynote "Making the Point" address for both undergraduate ceremonies was given by Kim Hogelucht, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Business in the Fermanian School of Business at PLNU. The two ceremonies also honored each student with the highest GPA in work done at PLNU. Biology Major, Dawn Michelle Gorel was honored during the 1p.m. ceremony for her 4.000 GPA and Accounting and Business Administration Major, Nicholas Michael Erze was honored at 4p.m. for his GPA of 3.997.

(San Diego, Calif. – May 6, 2014) – She has been called “the quintessential water-woman,” and on May 6th, PLNU Junior, Emmy Merrill proved her dominance once again.

On the final day of the StandUp Paddle (SUP) surfing portion of the 2014 ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship (WSUPPC) in Nicaragua, Emmy took home the gold in the women’s SUP Surfing event.

With 27 countries representing five continents, the 2014 ISA Championship events in Nicaragua kicked off on Sunday, May 4th. The 2014 Men’s and Women’s SUP Surfing Gold Medalists were decided on Tuesday with excellent performances from the best men and women SUP Surfers in very contestable waves in La Boquita, Nicaragua.

Emmy, the 2012 ISA WSUPPC Gold Medalist, came out of qualifying rounds with a strong performance, posting the highest total heat score of the round. She took the gold on Tuesday with a score of 13.50. The 2014 ISA WSUPPC victory is the latest achievement for the talented Merrill who has been a fierce competitor since her days at San Clemente High School. We had a chance to sit down with Emmy after her 2012 gold, read the Q&A on PLNU’s blog.

Photo credit ISA/Rommel

Alum, External Relations, Office of Community & Government Relations, PLNU

As part of PLNU’s commitment to maintaining academic excellence and long-term student success, the university has spent two years completing a comprehensive self-study. This deliberate, data-driven process involved both faculty and staff while reviewing student interest in academic programs along with such factors as career outcomes and financial viability.

As a result of the study, over the coming four years, PLNU will be implementing a number of changes. Several departments will be altering their elective options and revising their budgets. A small number of majors will be phased out by the summer of 2018. However, all current and admitted students will be able to complete their degrees in their desired majors. Because the changes took into account upcoming faculty retirements and known departures, no full-time faculty personnel changes are necessary to implement these plans.

Twenty years in the making, a vision is becoming a reality. On Thursday, May 8, Point Loma Nazarene University will break ground on the long awaited science complex on the Point Loma campus.

The new complex will accommodate the increasing number of students who want to study science at PLNU. “The current Rohr Science Building, built in 1962, is no longer equipped to meet the demands of contemporary science” says PLNU President Dr. Bob Brower. “The new, innovative facility will offer ample space and modern technology to ensure the growth of our program and the success of our PLNU science faculty and students.”

The 32,900-square-foot science complex will include a two-story laboratory, four attached classrooms, and a rooftop patio with an elevated walkway that connects to the existing Rohr building. The facility will enable the science program to reach new heights with collaborative research opportunities, the establishment of new majors, and modern technology to attract quality science faculty and students.

PLNU’s Point TV will be host Short Term 12 director, Destin Daniel Cretton, at a film forum in Crill Auditorium on Monday, April 14th, from 7-9:30 p.m. Cretton will attend the screening to discuss the success of his film and his journey as a filmmaker in the years since graduating from PLNU.

What started nearly six years ago as a Master’s thesis project has since captured national attention, including those in Hollywood. Cretton’s film has earned him recognition in multiple film festivals across the country, including Sundance and the South by Southwest Music Festival.

The premise and story for Short Term 12 came to Cretton through personal experience. Inspired by his own time working at facilities for troubled kids, the 2001 graduate wrote and directed Short Term 12, a story told through the eyes of Grace, a twenty-something supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers. Grace’s own difficult past is made all the more clearer with the arrival of a new intake at the facility: a gifted yet troubled teenage girl with whom Grace has an electric connection.

In 2009, the short-film version of Short Term 12 won best American Short at the Sundance Film Festival. Building on that success, Cretton turned it into a feature length film that continues to capture audiences across the country.

“This is Daniel’s most-famous and most-viewed feature length film,” said Alan Hueth, professor of Communication. “It played at the Sundance Film Festival, won awards at others, and it got a lot of Oscar buzz this past season…Daniel and his journey into big-time filmmaking is just phenomenal.”

Cretton has this advice for young filmmakers, “Don't believe anyone who tells you there is only one way to get somewhere. Just be true to yourself, follow your instincts, and tell the stories that move you. As Woody Allen puts it, ‘It's not quantum physics. It's storytelling. It's a story and you tell it. There's not much to it.’"

The screening begins at 7p.m. and is open to the entire PLNU communityin Crill Auditorium on PLNU's campus. All who attend will have the opportunity to not only view the feature film, but participate in a Q&A with Cretton after the forum.

For more information on the film forum or on Destin Daniel Cretton, please contact Alan Hueth at AlanHueth@pointloma.edu

(San Diego, Calif. – April 10, 2014) – The Special Olympics Regional Track Meet returns to the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University for the 21st consecutive year this Saturday, April 12th beginning at 9:00 a.m.

The event is sponsored by Point Loma's Department Family & Consumer Sciences and the School of Education and will take place at the PLNU Track & Field. Partnering with PLNU to produce the regional event are; San Diego County San Diego Parks and Recreation and the Chula Vista and Harbor Kiwanis clubs.

PLNU professor in the Department of Education, Dr. Jim Johnson will once again serve as the event director but credits PLNU students with the continued growth of the event. "The secret is we have a student leadership team does everything for the event and which we are progressively building on for the next year," said Johnson. "I'm basically a facilitator and give my signature where I need to, but it is the student leadership team that does everything. They handle publicity, they gather donations, they set up the website and they coordinate the volunteers. All of it is done by students here at Point Loma."

Saturday promises to be an encouraging and uplifting event for the athletes, spectators and over 500 volunteers, including PLNU students, faculty and staff.

Volunteers are still needed and welcome to register online with the group name and passwords: PLNU.